Ford’s venerable and popular 5.0 liter “Coyote” V8 has been a strong link in Ford’s engine lineup. From seeing duty as a front line player in the Mustang’s quest to retain its top spot in the muscle car wars, to being a key offering in the current generation F-150, it’s flexibility is undisputed. However, according to a new report, the 5.0 liter’s days are numbered, and it could be replaced by a smaller eight cylinder offering in the next generation F-150.
The Coyote engine itself has already been a victim of recent shifts in consumer preference, with the eight cylinder being upstaged by both the 3.5 liter EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V6, and to a lesser degree by the smaller 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6. That has already forced Ford to alter its production allotments for the V8, and focus more factory resources into producing larger quantities of both EB engines.
However, this does not mean that the V8 is dead at Ford, with a report released by the folks at Ford Authority that appears to reveal that the 5.0 liter will instead be replaced by a smaller but more powerful 4.8 liter V8 for the next generation F-150. To help it stay competitive against turbocharged V6 offerings, the new engine will be more muscular, with rumors suggesting that it will make a balanced 420 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.
This is a modest increase of 25 horses and 20 lb-ft of torque respectively, but it is more than enough to not only push it ahead of its corporate stablemates, but also be beefier than both the ancient 5.7 liter Hemi V8 in the Ram 1500, and the Silverado’s 5.3 liter and 6.2 liter V8s. Fuel economy is also expected to go up slightly, which would be a welcome improvement from the 17 mpg city and 20 mpg highway ratings wielded by the 5.0 liter.
Ford for its part has neither confirmed nor denied the report, but look for the next generation F-150 to make its debut in time for the 2021 model year. The proposed V8 swap would most likely affect the next generation Mustang too, but the extra increase in power and the accompanying weight reduction would be welcome additions to its muscle car related ambitions.